My Brant Richards 456 Evo Carbon is my best bike. It’s lighter, more comfortable while being faster uphill, along and down than my Singular Swift, Marin Mount Vision 5.8 or all titanium rigid DNA hardtail from back in the day. It absorbs all trail chatter making it my best all day ride. All the while taking fat tyres and a triple.
One positive I guess that Brant is not under the On One umbrella, is it does free him up to put extra’s into frames that might not have been affordable under the On One business model, which gives us more choice, which is only a good thing.
Compared to my 456 Evo carbon, it’s got a longer effective top tube, to have a shorter stem with the same reach, which should give me even better handling, and a steeper seat tube angle, which I also personally like and a higher stack height which I’ve come to like with the Swift. It would weight more though…enough to change, not at £500 and I prefer an ultralight bike to throw over gates, but is it the best geometry so far available, well yes, I’d say so, and if I was building a new bike now, it would be that frame. The Sonder Transmitter is close, and is boost and 650B+, which grabs my eye too. Alloy frame is £300. I don’t quite understand why this one doesn’t have that, I guess to have ultra short chainstays, but they are only 5mm shorter than the Transmitter which can take a 2.8. But Brant’s designed it, not working Stiff’s business model. Its a 456 650B Evo, but quite a a way further along.